Mushroom Eclipse
by Tealdragon13
Summary: My first fanfiction! Woohoo! Anyway, Mario and Peach are engaged, and Peach gets kidnapped... AGAIN! Now, however, we learn why Peach is kidnapped so much, as well as all the secrets she's been hiding. (All rights to Nintendo)
1. Chapter 1

Mario's POV

It was a clear day in Mushroom Kingdom, and unlike most days where the streets were hectic, with toads rushing all over to take care of business, today was the opposite. This particular day, the entire kingdom was quiet, and that was perfect because I was sleeping in, tired from rescuing Princess Peach the night before. I was very much asleep, so much so that I failed to hear the sound of someone snickering in my darkened room. Time passed, and I finally woke up when I heard snickering from what seemed to be small group of people, so I searched around my room, unable to see who it is because of the darkness.

"Who's There?" I asked.

Suddenly, the lights turned on, and Luigi and a group of toads jumped up and yelled: "SURPRISE!", which honestly scared me half to death. After recovering from initial shock, I began to question them.

"What's all this?" I asked, puzzled, "It's not my birthday or anything."

Luigi walked up and sat on the edge of my bed, "We know it's not your birthday." He responded, "We're just here to congratulate you on proposing to Peach last night!"

I had almost forgotten about it, last night in Bowser's Castle, after I rescued her... Surrounded by the searing hot lava I actually proposed to her! I thought it was kind of romantic, and the scenery gave it a sort of a daring feel. She seemed to be shocked, as she didn't respond for a few moments, and then she said yes and we both hugged.

I was thinking about the entire thing, and almost forgot that I had company. I got out of bed, and hugged Luigi, "Thanks bro, for the surprise!" I was about to walk out, when Luigi said: "Hey, Mario! Where are you going, we were going to have a party too!"

"I'm off to the castle, I want to see Peach, and we'll have the party when I come back." I said as I grabbed my red cap from the hat rack on my way out. I ran through town, avoiding some toads along the way, and I picked some flowers I saw on the way for Peach. I finally made it to the castle, and just when I was about to open the front doors to the castle, I heard a huge crash from the roof.

Then I saw Bowser's airship hovering over the castle... and I saw Bowser himself with Peach on board.

"MARIO!" I heard Peach say as Bowser's airship started to fly away. I ran after it, and chased it until I could no longer see it, and I dropped the flowers I picked for her. I ran to the house, to prepare for yet another adventure.


	2. Chapter 2

Peach's POV

I watched as Mario ran after me, desperately attempting to catch up to me, and then the airship ascended above the clouds... gone from sight. After I could no longer see him, I started to think about his proposal, and the look in his eyes as he said it, his nervousness, and his love...

I should have never said yes...

At that moment, I heard footsteps, and I turned to see Bowser. He didn't say anything at first, he just walked over, and we both stood looking over the edge of the airship, viewing the abundant clouds that covered the sky.

Finally, Bowser said: "Why did you contact me so soon Peach? You know we have a schedule for these 'kidnappings', so Mario doesn't get suspicious."

"Yes, I'm aware of that, and I know that two days in a row isn't the normal routine." I said. "This is important though, and I couldn't wait a moment longer in the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Why not?" Bowser questioned. "What's happened Peach? Does it involve Mario?"

"Yes.." I explained. "Last night, after Mario beat you, and 'rescued' me, he proposed to me, and I didn't know what to do, so I said yes. This marriage can't happen though, and I won't be with Mario, or start a family with him; I want to be with you and Junior, the family I love."

"I see..." was all that Bowser said after that. He stood silent for a while, and just when he was about to speak again, a koopa walked up, and bowed to both of us. "King Bowser" he announced, "we are arriving at your castle."

"Alright." Bowser said, looking irritated about being interrupted, "You can leave now."

"Yes sir!" The koopa exclaimed, "And good morning Mistress Peach!"

"Good morning!" I said back, and the koopa returned to his normal duties. Bowser, returning to the current topic, held my hand and said: "Peach, I will make sure that Mario never finds you, we'll stay in my castle for a few days, and then we will focus on disappearing from the area entirely, perhaps, start a new life or something."

"That sounds perfect!" I excitingly exclaimed, to which Bowser responded: "Good, we are at my castle now, let's go and help you get settled in."

We arrived at the castle, and the anchor dropped. I immediately got off and headed inside, where I was greeted by Bowser Jr., whom I always enjoy spending time with.

"Mama!" he said, full of joy, and he jumped into my arms for a hug. "Why are you back so soon?"

"I'll explain to you later my dear Junior, but first let me get settled in."

I knew at that point, finally, I could make my secret life... my only life.


	3. Chapter 3

Bowser's POV

I had never thought the day would come... when Peach would be permanently staying with me, and not with that stupid Plumber. I watched the amount of joy my son expressed whenever he saw Peach, and that was the kind of joy all three of us were hoping for. Mario is the only one that stood in the way... Mario was the closest to Peach, which means he could never find out our secret. If Mario knew the secret, the kingdom knew the secret, and that would cost Peach her royal status, something she worked very hard to get. Peach and I arranged these "kidnappings" so we could enjoy a brief visit together, as an entire family before Mario came. Mario never seemed to catch on, which worked out perfectly, because I had no idea initially that Mario would be so idiotic as to not suspect anything was going on.

This situation, however, was different, because all three of us were leaving forever. Peach had to give up her throne, but that's how it had to be. If this goes according to plan... Mario would never be able to track us, and still not know the truth.

I called out to my second-in-command, Kamek, and he walked up to me, followed by his own two underlings.

"What can I do for you, your Highness...?" He asked.

"Show Peach to her room, and make sure she is completely settled in." I said. "You will follow her orders just like you follow mine, understand?"

"Yes your Highness! I will make sure she is taken care of." Kamek responded. "Right this way Mistress Peach, I will show you to your quarters."

Kamek took Peach to her quarters and then my son ran up to me, and said "Dad! Dad! Can I go too? I wanna spend more time with Mama!"

"Sure Son." I responded. He jumped excitingly and ran to join them. I walked over to another room with a huge table and map of the entire Mushroom Kingdom along with my own Kingdom. I began to study it, to look for a strategy, and I called over a Paratroopa, and told him to send out the Koopalings to the various worlds.

"My first priority is to make sure Mario is hit with as many delays as possible trying to make it here, because we need as much time to plan as we can get. Make sure you get the deed done, or don't bother ever coming back..." I said.

"Y-yes sir..." The Paratroopa said, and he flew off.

Nothing was going to stand in the way of our happiness any longer.

…..I was going to make sure of it.


	4. Chapter 4

Bowser Jr.'s POV

I'm so glad I finally got to see Mama Peach again! I hate that whenever she comes to the castle to visit me and my dad, that mean Mario always comes to mess everything up! I walked with mama and Kamek down to her room, and we went inside. The room was one of the best looking ones in the castle, it was full of pink, like... everywhere. I think my dad had specially decorated the room for mama, and she loved it.

"This room is incredible!' She said. She walked over to her bed and sat down as Kamek talked about the features of the room.

"Mistress Peach," he began. "This is your new room, it is decorated to your liking. If there is anything you need, do not hesitate to let me or any of the minions in this castle know."

"Yes... thank you Kamek," She said. "there is no need to explain further, I've been in this castle many times... I know how this all works."

"Of course, sorry Mistress Peach," He said. "I will come back later to see how you are doing."

After Kamek left, I finally got to ask mama all of the questions I had for her.

"Mama, why are you back so soon? Is Mario coming for you? I wanna get that Mario, and make him pay!"

"I'm staying here permanently Junior." She explained. "Mario will be coming, but this time... he will not find me. We are going to move to a safer place, faraway, and we will stay as a family forever."

"Really?!" I exclaimed. I was so excited, mama would be staying here forever! "Why did you decide to do this right now, did something happen?"

"Yes." She said. "Mario proposed marriage to me yesterday, and that is why we must leave. It is no longer safe for me to be in the Mushroom Kingdom. If we stay here, we can never truly be a family."

"Don't worry mama!" I said. "We'll make sure that Mario never even gets here, and I'll fight him myself too! I think I can beat him this time!"

"I'm sure that you can Junior." She said, sleepily. "Junior, why don't you see how your dad is doing? I need to rest for awhile... we have a big day tomorrow, and we have to all be prepared."

"Alright." I responded "Goodnight mama!"

"Goodnight Junior." She said.

I ran all the way down the hall, and went to the map room that my dad was in. Dad was studying the map carefully, and I climbed on top of the tall table so I could see the map as well.

"Hello Son!" He exclaimed once he saw me. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah!" I replied. "I'm so glad that mama is staying here forever!"

"Yes, I am too." He said. "Now, on to other matters, I sent the Koopalings to their castles to prepare for Mario. Would you like to join them, and help delay Mario's progress, or stay here?"

"Well..." I said, trying to think about what I should do. "I'll go out there, I can't let that mean bully Mario come take mama away!"

"That's my boy!" He responded. "You'll make a great King of the Koopas someday!"

I ran out of the castle, jumped in my Junior Clown Car and rode off to face Mario.

There is no way he will take my mama away from me again.


	5. Chapter 5

Mario's POV

I could not believe that Bowser kidnapped Peach two days in a row…. I knew something wasn't right at that moment, because that is the first time that had ever happened in all of the years of the kidnappings. Regardless, I knew that my first priority was to rescue Peach, and I wasn't going to let anything get in my way.

I traversed through dry deserts, lush forests, frigid snows, and I was currently on a land completely above the clouds. I knew that I was close to Bowser's Castle because I could vaguely see the outline of it in the distance.

Finally, I made it to the castle at the end of the area, which housed the last of the Koopalings I had yet to face, Ludwig. After entering the castle, I was faced with an abundance of Dry Bones clacking across the ground, and the occasional Amp or Fire Bros. lurking about.

I dispatched them rather quickly, and made my way toward the final room. When I entered, I saw Ludwig on the other side of the room, using magic to hover in the air.

"Well look who it is!" he said. "I knew you would come sooner or later."

"I have to save the Princess, and I won't let you stop me." I said in response.

"Good!" he replied. "I wouldn't want it any other way!"

Suddenly, he fired three blasts of blue fire at me from his magic scepter, and I just barely managed to dodge it before he followed that attack with a shell spin. The change of attacks was so sudden that I did not have time to dodge him, I was sent flying from the attack, and crashed against the wall behind me.

I got up, feeling a bit dazed, but I still managed to evade more incoming attacks while also attacking him. Time passed, and I managed to get three consecutive hits on Ludwig and he fell to the floor, unable to attack further.

"Not….bad." he said, out of breath. "You're….stronger than you look."

"I told you that I wouldn't let you stop me." I responded.

"That you did." he said. "But this time, there will be a different outcome."

"How so?" I asked.

"Well, basically, I'm saying that you won't be getting any further, and you'll never see Peach again!"

I was puzzled as to what he meant by saying that, but I didn't have much time to think about it because suddenly, something big hit me in the back of the head.

And I blacked out….

When I awoke, I saw that I was chained to a chair in a dimly lit room that was unfamiliar to me. I looked around, and I saw Bowser Jr. in this room as well, looking at me with a grin of triumph.

"I can't believe I finally got you Mario!" he said. "My dad is gonna be so proud!"

"What…what happened?" I said, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in my head.

"Well, my plan was, after you 'beat' Ludwig, I would knock you out with my hammer from behind, and it worked!" He exclaimed.

I was silent for a while, trying to collect my thoughts and comprehend all that had happened.

"Where are we?" I finally asked.

"We're on an airship." he explained. "My dad told me that I had to bring you to his castle, and he would make sure that you don't interfere with our plans any longer."

I tried my hardest to break free from the chains that bound me, but they seemed to be too strong to break. I knew I had to find some way to escape.

I knew I had to get Peach back.


	6. Chapter 6

Peach's POV

The sun was rising over Bowser's Castle, and while everyone in the castle was usually asleep at this hour, today was different. I was soundly sleeping in my bed, dreaming of the complete freedom that awaited me when we finally escaped from this land, when I was awakened by someone tapping me on my arm.

I opened my eyes and saw that a Koopa was looking at me, and he softly stated: "Mistress Peach, I'm terribly sorry about waking you, but King Bowser requests your presence at this time."

"Why does he need to see me this early?" I asked, yawning.

"We have received important news overnight," he began. "Bowser Jr. captured Mario at Ludwig's Castle, and he is being brought here as prisoner as we speak!"

I immediately sat up, unable to believe what I had just heard.

"Mario has actually been captured?!" I asked

"Yes Mistress!" he exclaimed, clearly excited. "I can hardly believe it myself, but it's true. King Bowser has requested that everyone meet in his throne room so he can fill us in on the details."

"Alright, I will be there shortly." I said.

I walked over to the mirror and began to fix my hair, and as I did so I socialized with the Koopa.

"So," I began. "What is your name?"

"My name is Tempest." He said. "I just started working here a few days ago."

"Oh, well nice to meet you Tempest." I said. "Do you enjoy working here?"

"Yes, very much so!" He exclaimed. "I find hard work to be very rewarding."

"Well, that's good, it makes life so much easier when you enjoy the work you do." I responded.

After I finished fixing my hair, I walked with Tempest down the hall that led to Bowser's throne room. I was thinking about how incredible it was that Mario was actually captured! It would make our plan run so much smoother, and if we got Mario out of the way, nobody would be able to stop us.

"I wonder why Luigi wasn't with Mario, I thought they always traveled together?" Tempest said, seemingly thinking out loud.

I answered him by saying: "A few days ago, Luigi told me that he would have to leave someday soon because there was a haunted mansion he had to take care of, and he would be back in a few days. I'm guessing that Mario let Luigi go ahead and take care of his own business, while he left to 'save' me."

"Oh," he said. "That makes sense, but I bet he regrets telling Luigi that now."

We were just about to reach the throne room, when suddenly, the front doors opened and we saw a Paratroopa stumble inside, badly injured, and barely clinging to life.

We both ran up to him, and he collapsed into my arms. I checked his pulse, and he was still alive, so he must have just passed out.

I was adeptly versed in magic, so I used a small spell that I knew and magically healed some of his wounds. Eventually, he opened his eyes, much to my relief.

"What happened?" I worryingly asked.

"H-he's escaped! Mario has escaped, and he is headed this way!" he cried out.

Kamek happened to be passing by on his way to the throne room, and when he noticed the commotion, he ran over to see what was wrong.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Mario has escaped, and he's coming this way." I explained. "Tempest, I need you to take this Paratroopa to the Medical Wing of the castle immediately!

"Will do!" Tempest said.

Kamek and I rushed over to the throne room as fast as we could.

We knew that we had to fix this situation as soon as possible…..

This was our last chance….


	7. Chapter 7

Bowser's POV

Word of Mario's capture reached my castle late into the night, without any warning. I was still awake, strategizing and assessing my further options to proceed, when suddenly a Goomba ran into the room I was in, barely able to contain himself.

"King Bowser! King Bowser!" he exclaimed. "You will not believe what I have just heard!"

"What business do you have to come barging in here like that?!" I snapped at him. "Quiet down as well, don't you realize that everyone else in the castle is asleep at this hour?"

"Oh…. I'm sorry King Bowser…" he apologized. "I promise it won't ever happen again."

"Good, so what did you have to say to me?" I asked.

"I have received word that Mario has been captured by Bowser Jr.!" he excitingly exclaimed.

I was thoroughly amazed at what I had just heard….. We had just caught our lucky break!

"This is incredible!" I said to him. "Quickly, send word to my son and tell him to bring Mario here so I can personally deal with him. The day is dawning, and I must call an important meeting for our next course of action!"

"Yes King!" he responded, and ran out.

As the sun rose, the castle was full of chatter, as all of my minions were on their way to my throne room for the meeting. As I was preparing for my speech, I was thinking about how proud I was of my son for actually capturing that persistent plumber, and how much of an impact that would make on the rest of our plan.

I called over a Koopa that was standing guard in the throne room, and asked him if he would wake up Peach and bring her to the throne room as well. Once most of my minions had entered the throne room, I began my speech.

"Hello everyone, I'm glad you all could be in attendance for this meeting. As most of you know by now, my son has actually captured Mario, and they are heading this way now."

At that moment, everyone applauded, excited at the fact that our problems with Mario might finally be at an end.

"Now, onto the matter of our next course of action, I believe that-"

Suddenly, Peach and Kamek came rushing into the throne room.

"King Bowser!" Kamek shouted. "Mario's escaped!"

"WHAT!?" I angrily blurted out. "How did that happen?!"

"We don't know." Peach said. "The Paratroopa that delivered the information had to be rushed to the medical wing immediately for treatment of his injuries."

Just then, to make matters even worse, a Koopa also ran into the throne room.

"King Bowser!" he exclaimed. "We have discovered the remains of a destroyed ship that we believe Mario was confined in, and we also rescued an unconscious Bowser Jr., Ludwig, and the remaining minions that were aboard."

"What! Is my son alright?!" I asked.

"He has many cuts and bruises from the ordeal, so we have taken him to the Medical wing. They believe that he will make a full recovery sir." he responded.

I can't believe that in a moment's time, everything went from perfect to disastrous, but I still had to ensure our success, no matter what the cost.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE!" I announced. "MARIO IS COMING, SO EVERYONE GET READY FOR THE BATTLE!"

All of the minions rushed around, a bit panicked, but all went to their positions and stood ready.

It didn't take long before Mario burst through the castle doors, and confronted my minions.

All of my minions tried their best, but Mario dispatched the ones in his way with a fire flower. After some fierce fighting, he finally made it to the throne room where Peach and I were.

"Bowser, let Peach go!" he demanded. "She belongs in the Mushroom Kingdom!"

"Sorry Mario, but I can't let that happen…..especially not now." I responded.

"Then I'll just have to defeat you and rescue her!" he exclaimed.

Mario and I fought ferociously for what seemed like an eternity. I was shooting searing hot fireballs at him while he was dodging and retaliating, and there was no clear victor for the longest time. Eventually, however, I was starting to weaken, and Mario was gaining the upper hand. Five minutes later, I was too weak to fight back, and Mario was ready to deliver the final blow.

"Sorry Bowser, but I told you I was going to get Peach back." he said.

Just when he was about to finish the fight, however, a sudden white light burst forth and knocked Mario back against the wall.

When the light dispersed, it was revealed that Peach had dealt that blow to Mario.

"Peach….?" Mario said, dazed. "Why did you do that?"

"I'm sorry Mario….I just can't let you win this time, there is just too much at stake." Peach responded.

Peach used more of her white magic to attack Mario continuously, and he couldn't dodge because he was weary from the preceding battle. He seemed to be too shocked and hurt by the betrayal to fight back, and he eventually passed out from the damage he had taken. She then used her magic to lift him off of the ground and threw him all the way out past the castle doors.

The battle was over.

She walked up to me and asked if I was alright.

I sat up, "yes I am fine..." I responded. "But our grand plan to disappear…we have to do it right now."

We had no other option.


	8. Chapter 8

Bowser Jr.'s POV

I had a wonderful dream…. a dream that showed the new life that we had worked so hard to achieve. My dad, mama, and I were all in this amazing land, where there was no Mario, and mama was free to be with us. We were a true family, and I was never happier.

Then I woke up…

I felt sad when I realized that it was only a dream, and I sat up, feeling pain all over my body. I noticed right away that I was in a dark room laying on a very soft and comfortable bed, but I knew I wasn't in my own bed. I looked around, but I couldn't see much, except for the moon casting its light through the window next to the bed I was in.

Then my mind immediately went to the events of yesterday… or was it earlier today? I had no idea what time it was, or what day it was… but I did know that Mario had escaped, the one thing that I didn't think would happen.

It's not fair! I remember happily jumping around the deck of Ludwig's airship, with Mario safely locked away in an empty storage room for about four hours, then all of a sudden, I heard a loud crash from below deck. Several minions ran up from below deck shouting: "We're being attacked! Enemies are on the airship!" I ran over to see what was happening, then suddenly, something came at me with such speed and power that it knocked me backwards to the other side of the airship. When I looked up, I saw that I had been attacked by two Koopas, but they weren't ordinary Koopas. They wore completely black clothing with a yellow symbol of a dragon on their left arm, and they both had a sword as well.

When I finally was able to stand up, I asked: "Who are you, and why are you attacking us?"

They laughed, "We are mercenaries" one of them responded. "We were hired by Toadsworth on behalf of the Mushroom Kingdom to ensure the safe return of Mario."

I grabbed my hammer and ran over to attack them, when, out of nowhere, Mario ran up onto the deck and attacked first, knocking me to the ground.

He walked up to where I was laying, and said: "Sorry Bowser Jr., but that's what you get for chaining me up!"

The mercenaries started destroying the airship and attacking everyone on board, and after a while, the ship caught on fire. Everyone was scared as the airship lost control, and was going down very fast. Mario and the Mercenaries jumped off the airship, the mercenaries using standard parachutes, and Mario using a spare Super Leaf, to glide to safety.

I didn't have much time to even think before suddenly, the airship crashed, and I passed out…

I was sitting in bed, thinking about all of this, and I almost didn't notice when the lights flickered on and a Koopa with a medical cap came into the room. I finally understood that I was in one of the medical wing rooms. This room only had two beds in it, the one that I was laying in, and the other one which had an injured Paratroopa resting in it.

"Oh good you're finally awake!" The medical Koopa said. "Are you feeling better?"

"No, I feel terrible." I replied, and when I looked at myself, I saw that I had bandages over all my body from my injuries.

"Understandable." She said. "We found the airship completely destroyed, none of the crew died thankfully, but some have serious injuries. They are currently being treated in the other rooms in this wing.

"What happened to Mario?" I asked.

"Mario made his way to the castle, and fought his way up to Bowser. He beat Bowser, but Peach intervened, relentlessly attacked him, and threw him out of the castle." She said.

"But that's not possible!" I said, shocked. "Mama Peach wasn't supposed to let Mario find out she wasn't on his side!"

"She had to do it, Bowser couldn't fight, and she couldn't just let the plan fail." She responded.

"I guess so…" I agreed.

"Alright, get some more rest." She said. "You need to get your strength back up, because we will set our plan into motion tomorrow, so goodnight Junior."

"Goodnight." I responded.

I was going to get that Mario and show him that I'm NOT a pushover, and that it takes a lot more to beat me!

I couldn't wait for tomorrow to come…


	9. Chapter 9

Mario's POV

I felt betrayed…and I felt alone….

The beautiful princess that I was about to swear my eternal love to….was a traitor. That was such a foul word: _Traitor_, the word seemed to form a lump in my throat when I tried to speak it, especially because it was about Peach…

I had just recently awoke, just in time for a sudden intense downpour that soured my already saddened heart. I looked around to understand where I was, and I saw that I was outside Bowser's Castle, and it was deep into the night. I realized I must have passed out for quite a while, and I immediately took shelter under a huge tree that was merely a few meters away from the castle itself.

I wanted to run, I couldn't bear to be next to this castle anymore…it constantly reminded me of what happened, but I couldn't move. I just had enough strength to make it to the tree for shelter, so I just sat there, staring off into the distance, lost in thought.

I was so oblivious to the world around me, that I hardly noticed when two shadowy figured started walking in my direction. When I did notice them, I didn't even care if they were a friend or foe, and I was too distraught to react to their presence.

When they walked close enough so that I could see them, I noticed that they were the Koopa Mercenaries that helped me escape from the Airship. It did make me feel a bit better that they were here, because now I felt less alone, even though I didn't exactly know them personally.

"Mario, are you alright?" one of them asked.

"I…I'm fine…" I responded.

"We saw what happened." The other one said. "Truly tragic, what you must be going through…but Toadsworth must be informed of it. We have to get you back, and we can't wait for the rain to stop, enemy troops might be here soon."

"I understand..." I managed to say, and they both helped me up, supporting me with my arms around their shoulders, and we started to walk back.

It was nearly dawn before the rain finally stopped, and I could smell the petrichor emanating from the lush green grass surrounding us. We walked for what seemed like an eternity before we noticed the faint outline of Peach's castle and the Mushroom Kingdom.

"Finally!" one of the Mercenaries said. "We're almost there!"

Once we had finally reached the Mushroom Kingdom, I broke away from the Mercenaries' support and I ran toward the castle. I had never been so relieved to see the castle in all my life, and when I ran there, I unknowingly stepped on the flowers that I had picked for Peach and had dropped when Bowser took her for the last time.

I opened the castle doors, and I almost collapsed from pain and exhaustion. Some of the toads rushed to my aid and that's the last thing I remember before passing out…

When I woke up, I saw that I was in a spare bed in one of the guest rooms of the castle. I saw Toadsworth, the Mercenaries, and even Luigi, who must have recently returned, standing by my bedside, relieved when they saw I had awoken.

"Ah, Master Mario!" Toadsworth said with a smile. "You've finally woken up! I was very worried!"

"What happened to you bro?" Luigi said, clearly upset. "I just returned to the castle three minutes ago and heard from one of the Toads that you were seriously hurt!

"Don't worry." I reassured him. "I'll be fine…"

"Tell us what happened." Toadsworth said. "The Mercenaries said that you wanted to tell us personally."

I hardly remember ever saying that… I must have said it when we were walking to the castle, but I don't know why I even said that. I never wanted to talk about it again, but since I said I would, I would have to say it.

So I told both him and Luigi everything; when I ran after Bowser's Airship, got caught by Bowser Jr., broke free, arrived at Bowser's Castle, and got betrayed…

At the end, Toadsworth was almost in tears.

"W-why…?" he asked. "Why would the Princess do something like that?!"

"I thought…she was on our side…I was such a fool!" I muttered to myself.

"What do we do now, Master Mario?" Toadsworth asked. "You are the only one we can turn to now…"

I sighed, as much I hated to admit it, Peach was now the enemy, and we had to stop her and Bowser immediately.

"Tomorrow…" I began. "We go to war."


	10. Chapter 10

Peach's POV

I can't believe that I started a war…

The morning after our unfortunate encounter with Mario, reports from our frantic troops came flying in, with details of great destruction to our forces by the Mushroom Kingdom's army, led by Mario himself. At first, Bowser and I dismissed these reports as frivolous overreactions from our troops, but once we saw at least a hundred of those troops get rushed to the medical wing, and the injuries they sustained, we knew this was war.

"This is all my fault..." I said aloud, distraught.

Bowser tried to comfort me and alleviate my emotional pain, but it didn't make me feel any better.

"No it isn't," he said. "This war was not your fault, you shouldn't take responsibility for it."

"How can you believe that?!" I snapped at him, "This war is entirely my fault! If I hadn't stepped in and attacked Mario, none of this would have happened!"'

"Peach…" he began, "listen to me…"

"No, you listen to me!" I interrupted, "Our plan for true freedom is not worth it anymore, because it should not have to cost all of these lives and injuries. I would rather go back to how it was, as inconvenient as it was, anything would be better than this!"

"That is no longer a possibility…" he stated, sternly, "You need to face reality Peach, we are in this war together…there is no going back, and I have no intention of backing down. If the Mushroom Kingdom wants this war, then it's going to happen."

Before I had a chance to argue with him further, Kamek flew over to us on his broom.

"Excuse me, King Bowser," he said, "The enemies are quickly approaching, should we flee to a safer area?"

Bowser glared at me for a moment, and then turned to face Kamek.

"Yes, gather up all the airships we have left and tell every troop to make their way to the loading dock." he explained, "From there, I will direct us to an old, abandoned, and reinforced building which we can use as a bastion.

"Yes, your highness," Kamek responded, "I can have everything ready in about ten minutes, will that be acceptable?"

"Yes, that is fine," he stated, "You are dismissed."

"Yes your highness!" Kamek said, and he immediately flew away to take care of that business.

Bowser didn't even turn back to look at me, he simply said: "You have ten minutes to get ready.", and walked off.

When I got back to my room, I just laid on my bed, stared at the ceiling, and contemplated everything that had happened thus far.

It wasn't supposed to be like this…I never wanted any of this to turn into a war. It was all my fault, the stupid escape plan, it was entirely my idea…but I was so tired of these staged kidnappings. Tired of pretending to be loyal to one side, yet in reality, loyal to their enemy. I had woven such a web of lies and deceit, that I couldn't escape, and I had hurt so many people along the way.

Mario didn't deserve any of this, I had been so cruel to him, cruel behind his back, and cruel for attacking him. He did nothing to me, but I blamed him for my problems, blamed him for keeping me from Bowser, which was entirely my fault.

I needed to make this right.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: I am SOOO sorry to everyone that this took so long, it's been eating away at me for the longest time, but I just never well felt the push needed to get it done. I really want to make 2017 the best I can for me, so better late than never I assume... So finally, without further delay, the final chapter you've all been waiting for!

Bowser's POV

It was finally time to leave….

Under the sweltering afternoon sun, everyone in my castle was frantically rushing to the airships, bringing along whatever meager belongings they could carry, desperate to leave before Mario's army arrived. Some of my crew couldn't handle the thought of leaving this land forever, so they cravenly fled back to their families, so they could feel "safe".

"Truly Pathetic…" I muttered to myself, disgusted by their primal desire to feel safe, rather than fight to have a chance at a better life.

I briefly turned my attention to Peach, who sluggishly walked toward the main airship. She knew I was watching her, yet she gave me nary a glance as she slowly walked by. It would take a fool not to realize that she was upset, but we had a job to do, and I could not allow myself to be weighed down by her emotions.

True to his word, Kamek had everything ready in the span of ten minutes, and we were finally about to depart. The air around us felt frigid and heavy, as it was carrying the despair and fear within the crew. As soon as our airships took off, I explained my plan to Peach, Kamek, and the crew aboard the main airship.

"I believe our best course of action is to head to Kame Castle, which is located on the edge of this land. If we can make it there, it would be our best chance to escape forever…"

"How is that going to help?" questioned Peach, clearly still tense from our previous argument, "If we are going to run away to a castle, then why even leave at all?!"

I turned to answer, but Kamek explained in my stead.

"I believe I know why, Mistress Peach." he explained, "You see, Kame Castle was a special castle owned by King Bowser's father, it is impenetrable, and quite frankly the best bastion you could ask for."

"It would only buy us time…" Peach protested, then turned to me, "Why must you drag this out any more, you are simply delaying the inevitable!"

"Be quiet, i'm about to explain!" I snapped at her, in an manner she did not particularly take well.

"There is a legend tied to that place, that when an eclipse is present in the night sky, a portal shall open up to another land."

My troops stared at me bewildered, obviously dismissing it as baseless conjecture, though too scared to admit it.

"I suggest the idea," I continued, "For tonight happens to be an eclipse, and if we pass through that portal…...we win."

There were no more words spoken after this, as we continued our venture through terrain not many have passed. It was a lifeless land, filled with gnarled trees and the aura of death, which sent my crew on edge for they were enduring this land as well as searching for signs of Mario.

We journeyed for roughly four and a half hours before we arrived at Kame Castle. It was situated on a cliffside in front of a vast sea, far out of the reach from the rest of society. The castle seemed to be something out of a fairytale; it was an enormous, yet elegant black castle that loomed over the area like a bad omen.

We disembarked from the airship, and ventured inside the foreboding castle to immediately prepare for what would be the battle to end them all….

The inside of the castle was breathtaking…. The floors were crafted from creamy marble, old paintings of the former rulers hung from one of the walls, decaying as time robbed them from this world. The main centerpiece of the castle was the throne in the back, surrounded by a rather expensive red rug. It stood as a beacon of majesty, an ultimate symbol of power.

Perhaps the most perplexing part of the castle was a mysterious symbol that lay in the direct center, archaic in design, it seemed to be older than the castle…. Perhaps the castle was built around it?

It was sunset before we heard the noise of a certain persistent plumber and the sound of a thousand annoying parasites that consisted of his army.

It was time….

I pondered over our current predicament, then devised our plan.

"The portal will open soon," I explained to everyone. "We must keep this battle going long enough for us to escape through it!"

My army rushed outside to fight, and the battle commenced immediately after. I hadn't expected the immense size of the Mushroom Kingdom's army, and I quickly realized that this was a fight that my army simply could not win. As our numbers were dwindling, the moon was rising, and I knew it would soon be time. I waited in the castle along with Peach and Kamek, waiting for the eclipse to come.

Suddenly, the sounds of the battle were silent, we heard nothing. After a few tedious seconds, the main door opened….

It was Mario.

He stared as us for a moment, his eyes burned with anger and sadness, and eventually, he spoke: "Bowser and Peach, I cannot let you two get any further..., This is the end!"

We were poised to fight, but suddenly, everything went dark, and the moonlight was no longer visible. The mysterious symbol started to illuminate, and a burst of white light shot from the symbol, forming above it. The light formed itself into a mystical portal that was directly between ourselves and Mario.

Kamek was the first to recover from the initial shock, he summoned an attack and threw Mario against one of the walls.

"Hurry!" he cried, "You two must go through the portal now!"

We darted to the portal, but Mario recovered fast, and quickly launched a barrage of fireballs aimed directly at the portal.

We jumped through the portal, but instead of transporting us to our only remaining safe haven, we simply phased through it, and nothing happened.

The portal no longer worked…..

The portal crackled with electricity, clearly damaged, and the result of Mario's actions caused the natural balance of the area to be lost, and the ground shook.

"Master Mario!" I could hear Toadsworth say in the distance, "Hurry, escape quickly, the cliff is collapsing!"

Mario was quick to escape, leaving us behind without a care in the world, followed by Peach, who made no attempt to take me with her. I darted after her, but I was captured by the falling debris. I made one final jump before the cliffside fell into the sea below, and managed to hang on with one hand while my body dangled above the sea, whom was waiting to claim it.

"Peach!" I yelled desperately , "Help me!"

I saw Peach for the final time at the edge of the remaining land, looking down at me, sighing.

"I'm sorry Bowser…" she said with a tear, "I have to do what's right."

She used her magic and unhinged my claws from the land that I was desperately clinging to.

And I fell into the sea below….

(Thank you for enjoying my story, I will perhaps make an epilogue to follow up on the characters if enough of you request it, if you enjoyed this, please check out my profile for links to other sites that I will be posting on as well, though the next few may just be short stories) :)


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